What is MKV? Here the Thing You Need to Know

Aside from MP4, MKV is another common format for moving pictures/videos. The format is even better than MP4, which provides lossless compression for premium video quality. Today most users prefer to convert Blu-ray to MKV to preserve their favorite movies with the best quality possible. So how to rip Blu-ray to MKV and vice versa? This blog is the ultimate guide. Just read on to find specific guides.

Part 1: Full Introduction to MKV - Pros & Cons

Known as Matroska Video, MKV is a multimedia container format that can perfectly combine video, still pictures, subtitles, and metadata files into a single file. Compared to the normal MP4 format, MKV is better for storing videos and audio files of large sizes. Supporting lossless compression, MKV is a great format that ensures supreme video quality, making it the best option for storing long-form videos like Blu-ray videos.

Similar to MOV and AVI formats, MKV supports more than one audio and subtitle track in one file, even when these elements use different types of encoding. Moreover, descriptions, ratings, cover art, and even chapter points are also supported by MKV. As an all-in-one approach to combining various files, the MKV format is a complete multimedia storage container that is future-proof.

Pros of MKV:

Free and open source: MKV is licensed under GNU L-GPL for personal use, which means it adopts the royalty-free standard. Its specifications are fully open and the implementation consists mostly of open source software.

Good video quality: With the lossless compression, MKV files support better video quality than most multimedia files. That’s why many users want to rip Blu-ray to MP4 to save their favorite movies with higher video resolution.

Fast to adapt: MKV file format is compatible with various platforms, operating systems, and devices. Even if incompatibility issues occur, it won’t be long to wait for an update to tackle the issues.

Cons of MKV:

Large file size: While the lossless compression makes superb video quality, it leads to a larger file size than other lossy formats like MP4. This makes storing and transferring difficult.

Incompatibility: MKV is not playable on all the devices and you might need to use additional software to extend the compatibility. Moreover, some video editing software may not support MKV, and you will need to convert the format beforehand.

No DRM support: MKV is free and open-source, which means it does not support DRM(Digital Rights Management). This makes the format not ideal for copyrighted or protected content distribution.

Part 2: Best Blu-ray Player to Play MKV Files

Regardless of the practice, you will need an excellent media player to enjoy the best viewing experience. So which media player to use? Leawo Blu-ray player is your top media playback solution!

With this best free media player, you can play almost all the video formats you can think of. From 4K videos to 4K Blu-ray discs/DVDs to BDAV movie folders and more, the player can play them directly with the best visuals. What makes it outstanding is that it supports Blu-ray/DVDs from all regions. That means you can play Blu-ray discs directly if you don’t want to rip Blu-ray to MKV.

Developed with sophisticated encoding/decoding technology, Leawo Blu-ray Player delivers up to UHD 4K video quality, providing a cinema-like viewing experience in your living room. Most significantly, the media player is free to use without hidden fees. If you like to watch and download 4K Blu-ray movies, Leawo Blu-ray player is the No.1 media playback solution you should never miss out on!